Solar Panels

[Cantata]

I sometimes look wistfully at ads for solar panels and despair at the prices of any that might produce enough output to be useful.
But I notice around here that quite a few farmers are now growing huge fields full of them.
Where can you buy the seeds?

 

[sailorman]

I sometimes look wistfully at ads for solar panels and despair at the prices of any that might produce enough output to be useful.
But I notice around here that quite a few farmers are now growing huge fields full of them.
Where can you buy the seeds?

The seeds can be expensive

 

[Sixpence]

Hold out for silicone nanowire technology, apparently it's going to dramatically reduce the price. So best not fork out too soon
http://www.nature.com/srep/2013/130326/srep01546/full/srep01546.html

 

[sailorman]

Hold out for silicone nanowire technology, apparently it's going to dramatically reduce the price. So best not fork out too soon
http://www.nature.com/srep/2013/130326/srep01546/full/srep01546.html

Too L8 we are 11 months in already

 

[FullCircle]

Dick,
what do you want, a trickle charger for use on swinging mooring to keep battery topped, not permanently installed, or enough power for the fridge and lighting?


They are dirt cheap now due to global oversupply.

http://midsummerenergy.co.uk/buy/framed_solar_panels/kyocera_kd135_135w_solar_panel.html

£190 for 135w.

 

[Gargleblaster]

I sometimes look wistfully at ads for solar panels and despair at the prices of any that might produce enough output to be useful.
Where can you buy the seeds?

I just bought a 100w solar panel for the boat off Ebay Belgium for £80 something including delivery. Wired it through a charge controller [£10] to my domestic battery and tested it in the boatyard with all my lights and nav instruments on a cloudy day and it was producing more power than the boat was using according to the flashing light on the charge controller. The only thing that defeated [i.e. more power was being used than the panel was producing on a cloudy day] it was turning on the fridge, which I probably won't use anyway.
I've also got a 15w panel for back up and to keep my engine battery in tip top condition. Just ordered the charge controller for that this morning - Ebay again 10amps £7.99 delivered.

On my previous boat 'Glayva' I used to run 2X10 watt panels. One for each battery. I could run the instruments 24 hours a day and an LED tricolour all night [8 to 10 hours depending on latitude] and as long as it was sunny it would keep the battery charged. If I went 3 days with cloud cover I would have to top up my battery with the engine.

I only buy monocrystalline solar panels as they still work when partially shaded by sails, halyards or sheets.

 

[Rivers & creeks]

I just bought a 100w solar panel for the boat off Ebay Belgium for £80 something including delivery. Wired it through a charge controller [£10] to my domestic battery and tested it in the boatyard with all my lights and nav instruments on a cloudy day and it was producing more power than the boat was using according to the flashing light on the charge controller. The only thing that defeated [i.e. more power was being used than the panel was producing on a cloudy day] it was turning on the fridge, which I probably won't use anyway.
I've also got a 15w panel for back up and to keep my engine battery in tip top condition. Just ordered the charge controller for that this morning - Ebay again 10amps £7.99 delivered.

On my previous boat 'Glayva' I used to run 2X10 watt panels. One for each battery. I could run the instruments 24 hours a day and an LED tricolour all night [8 to 10 hours depending on latitude] and as long as it was sunny it would keep the battery charged. If I went 3 days with cloud cover I would have to top up my battery with the engine.

I only buy monocrystalline solar panels as they still work when partially shaded by sails, halyards or sheets.

Sounds excellent - can you post the ebay link or number? I want one.

BTW I think it's only amorphous that can properly cope with shadow lines.

 

[Gargleblaster]

Sounds excellent - can you post the ebay link or number? I want one.

This is the one I bought, but it has gone up by 20 quid.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/100W-Mono...50556163623?pt=UK_Gadgets&hash=item519ec68e27
but still a good price.

If you do a search on Ebay for '100w solar panel'. You will get a whole range, although the cheapest I could find was £99.

Here is the 10 amp charge controller still at £7.99.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CMP-Solar...30873464709?pt=UK_Gadgets&hash=item35c1217f85

You can often get cheaper from China or Hong Kong but take the risk on duty pushing the price over the equivalent european product.

 

[ianc1200]

I did both boats a few years ago when 30w panels were £300 & controller close to £200, so very interested to see these sort of prices. As we intend leaving a cover over the new boat was interested in one of those ultra flexible panels you can tie draped over both sides of the boom, then roll up to store when aboard.

 

[nigelm]

This is the one I bought, but it has gone up by 20 quid.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/100W-Mono...50556163623?pt=UK_Gadgets&hash=item519ec68e27
but still a good price.

If you do a search on Ebay for '100w solar panel'. You will get a whole range, although the cheapest I could find was £99.

Here is the 10 amp charge controller still at £7.99.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CMP-Solar...30873464709?pt=UK_Gadgets&hash=item35c1217f85

You can often get cheaper from China or Hong Kong but take the risk on duty pushing the price over the equivalent european product.

I take it i would need 1 controller per panel for each batt or could I use one panel to look after two batts , just a top up charge , both batts are 85 amp ?

 

[FullCircle]

I take it i would need 1 controller per panel for each batt or could I use one panel to look after two batts , just a top up charge , both batts are 85 amp ?

The controllers are for input, not battery capacity.....

 

[Oldgeezer]

For One panel to charge two batteries you need a dual charge controller - Maplin or ebay about £25

If you just need to keep the batteries toppped up a 100w panel is probably OTT. But it depends how much power you use.

My experience FWIW -
I have two batteries - 65aH and 110ah
I have a 10w solar panel and dual charge controller.
I have the usual chart plotter, depth, VHF, Navtex, LED lights.
Weekend sailor usually so they have a week to recharge.
Never had a flat battery.

 

[ex-Gladys]

I bought two panels about three years ago, the semi flex type to go onto the slightly curved wheelhouse roof. The main reason was because I also bought a Waeco compressor coolbox at the same time. They are 2x45 Watt and I just use them for the domestic bank (3x110AH AGM's). Sailing from a swinging mooring means the batteries are always fully charged when we get aboard, and they pretty much keep them up over a week living aboard with the fridge on 24x7. In hot weather with the fridge working harder the batteries do go gently south, but normal engine usage helps with that. Top add on for me

 

[michael_w]

Don't buy the rubbish SpectraLite ones from Marlec. Delaminated and connections corroded just outside the 2 year warranty. Marlec couldn't care a damn.

 

[Gargleblaster]

I take it i would need 1 controller per panel for each batt or could I use one panel to look after two batts , just a top up charge , both batts are 85 amp ?

The size of the batteries doesn't really matter other than the fact they will give you more power when sailing at night.
I use two solar panels and two charge controllers, because it removes complexity and I always buy the cheapest components, which seem to last me pretty well. My belief is keep things simple on boats or the salt water will end up winning.
You really only need a charge controller with 85amp batteries if your solar panels are over 15watt or may be 10 watt to be on the safe side, or you could boil your batteries.
I believe a 100watt panel chucks out up to 7amps so think about that when buying your charge controller.
I haven't seen the dual charge controller from Maplins but at £25 that sounds ideal. The dual charge controller I've looked at are usually between £40 and £65.
But for me I like one panel and one regulator per battery it makes diagnostics and repair so much simpler.

 

[sailorman]

Don't buy the rubbish SpectraLite ones from Marlec. Delaminated and connections corroded just outside the 2 year warranty. Marlec couldn't care a damn.

So you would not recomend SpectraLite or Marlec`s service / back-up then

 

[michael_w]

So you would not recomend SpectraLite or Marlec`s service / back-up then

Both. My 913 wind gen burnt out whilst under warranty. Their "world-wide support network of agents" didn't extend to Iberia. They wanted me to return the thing to them, carriage both ways at my cost. After much discussion they dispatched spares by courier but the instructions by regular post! This necessitated an unwanted stay in an expensive marina before they arrived. The tail plane has rusted badly; the mounting mast is poorly designed; the controller has burnt out 4 times and now the solar panels have fallen apart.

Buy from someone else.

 

[sailorman]

Both. My 913 wind gen burnt out whilst under warranty. Their "world-wide support network of agents" didn't extend to Iberia. They wanted me to return the thing to them, carriage both ways at my cost. After much discussion they dispatched spares by courier but the instructions by regular post! This necessitated an unwanted stay in an expensive marina before they arrived. The tail plane has rusted badly; the mounting mast is poorly designed; the controller has burnt out 4 times and now the solar panels have fallen apart.

Buy from someone else.

My Aerogen is now 25 yrs + old & only changer the bearings once in that time & a new set of blades supplied foc my the marina as they broke a blade on re-launch

 

[nigelm]

But for me I like one panel and one regulator per battery it makes diagnostics and repair so much simpler.

I like simple , it suits me ........

 

[FulmarJeddo]

I haven't seen the dual charge controller from Maplins but at £25 that sounds ideal. The dual charge controller I've looked at are usually between £40 and £65.
But for me I like one panel and one regulator per battery it makes diagnostics and repair so much simpler.

I use one of these http://www.maplin.co.uk/lead-acid-battery-split-charge-module-37767 to split the charge to the 2 batterries from a semi flexible 20W Solara panel mounted on the hatch garage, under the boom and all the rigging via a standard charge controller. I'm on a swinging mooring and never had flat batteries. I rarely have time to sail during the week so it normally has all week to refresh the batteries.